All learning in Foxford's Homeschooling program was fully online. While this format was convenient, many students lacked communication with peers — especially children and teenagers studying remotely after the pandemic.
Before the task reached the product team, marketing research showed a clear need for a safe and simple entry point where students could connect with peers, with parental consent. The idea was to create a dedicated space inside the product where students could leave basic information and find classmates to connect with.
I joined the project as the sole product designer and took full ownership of shaping the feature — from defining its format to planning the rollout.
From a product perspective, the goal was to reduce the feeling of social isolation among homeschooling students and make Foxford feel more supportive and socially engaging.
From a business perspective, the feature aimed to increase engagement and retention in the Homeschooling program and become an additional differentiator among online education platforms.
The feature was designed for children and teenagers aged 7 to 17.
There were several important constraints. Students under 13 could not share contact details without explicit parental approval, and this approval had to be built into the flow. At the same time, building an in-product chat was intentionally avoided — students already communicated in messengers and social networks, while an internal chat would have been expensive, complex, and riskier from a safety standpoint.
From research, students cared most about finding peers
- Close to their age
- With similar interests
- And ideally from the same city
The problem wasn't communication itself — it was finding the right people.
Without a clear and safe way to discover peers, many students felt isolated, which negatively affected their overall experience with online schooling.
We decided to build a profile-based feature with searchable questionnaires instead of direct messaging inside the product.
Students could fill out a short profile including
- Grade and city
- Interests
- Optional contact details (shared only after parental consent)
Profiles were published in a dedicated section of the personal account and were visible only to other Foxford students with active paid learning and completed profiles. On the main page, students could search profiles using simple filters — grade, interests, and city — and save profiles they liked. Communication then continued outside the platform, in messengers familiar to students.
I intentionally focused on a lightweight, non-overloaded interface that could be rolled out gradually without overwhelming users.
Given the exploratory nature of the feature and the lack of prior data, research was conducted iteratively alongside design.
After the initial design phase, I ran qualitative research directly with students
- Interviews
- Prototype testing
- Validation of interests and profile structure
Working directly with children as the primary audience was new and initially intimidating, but students turned out to be highly engaged and thoughtful in their feedback. This experience significantly deepened my understanding of designing for younger audiences.
Clear entry point
The feature started with a dedicated landing page that explained the goal of socialization and set expectations around safety before asking students to share any data.
Simple, gamified profile creation
The questionnaire was intentionally short and easy to complete, lowering the barrier to entry while still providing enough information to match students meaningfully. Each step rewarded students with XP — up to 200 XP — turning profile setup into a small, motivating game.
Safety by design
For younger students, contact details could only be shared after parental approval, which was embedded directly into the flow rather than handled separately — confirmed via an email or SMS code before a profile could be published.
Search instead of chat
A searchable profile list with clear filters replaced direct messaging. This reduced complexity, minimized risks, and aligned with existing student behavior — conversations continued in the messengers students already used.
Gradual rollout
I owned all iterations of the feature and its evolution, which allowed us to roll it out step by step without overloading students' attention.
The feature exceeded expectations within the first release period.
The feature continued to exist and scale after launch and became an additional differentiator for Foxford's Homeschooling program. It also indirectly contributed to attracting new students by addressing socialization — a key concern for families choosing online education.
I was the only product designer on the project and managed it end to end: from defining the format and constraints to designing interfaces, validating solutions with users, and supporting the gradual rollout.
I collaborated closely with a product manager, UX editor, and the broader product team, aligning decisions and ensuring consistency throughout the feature.
This was my first large-scale project with full ownership and a high degree of freedom. Managing the feature end to end — from concept to rollout — was both challenging and formative.
Working directly with students, rather than parents, significantly expanded my understanding of the audience and made future work on children-focused products much easier.
Looking back, I would invest more time upfront in gathering requirements from support, technical teams, and other stakeholders. While the visual style could be updated to better match Foxford's newer brand, the core functionality still feels strong and relevant.